Chasing the Story Part II

Traveling is almost always fun, and even more so for us bookish types when a story is involved. I traveled this month with the author of an upcoming book about William the Conqueror and the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and following. (See previous post). She wrote the book during the course of a year at Oxford University. There was time during the year to gather some atmosphere (not nearly enough) in England. As the book neared completion, however, we got the chance to see William's homeland of Normandy, France. The author has kindly allowed us to print her comments about writing and traveling through Normandy in pursuit of William and history:

"Writers spend a lot of time sketching mental images into words. Sometimes we have photos or paintings; sometimes we just have the blurry constructs shaped in our undoubtedly demented imaginations, to set a scene, depict a trait, or convey a character – whether of a place, a person, or a thing. We can do this just fine in our heads, in isolation. But in storytelling, a very communal enterprise, our task is to transfer them from abstractions into something (theoretically) comprehensible, arrange them in something that’s (ideally) lucid and lyrical and can unlock the images for the reader as we first saw them. We writers, aside from being horribly antisocial as a rule, spend a lot of time finding the right combinations of words to facilitate this. In the progress of writing this novel, I relied on photos, on historical material, and the Internet. But when I got to Normandy and had the actual setting itself, the unfiltered images, showing me the enveloping scene and not the flash-frozen sliver, it was – to say the least – quite an experience.

I’ve spent the better part of a year now writing this book, living almost wholly in the eleventh century one way or another. (If it wasn’t the history tutorials, where I was studying – what else – William and his successors, then it was the writing tutorials, where I was wresting with the words themselves, trying to shape them into a cohesive, exciting, and engaging novel. Jury's still out on that, of course). I’ve acquired, if I say so myself, a highly conversant knowledge of the period, the settings, the people. But there’s no replacement for walking the roads they did, seeing the cities, how the sunlight falls on the castle walls in the afternoon and the broad sweep of the Normandy countryside that, in William’s time, would be utterly uncluttered by the power lines and the lunatics on motorcycles. I had the thrill of driving past an otherwise nondescript tower and realizing it’s where he won the Battle of Val-es-Dunes in 1047. I had a chance to synthesize a knowledge with a reality. I saw still photos develop into clicking reels of film. I breathed the same air (approximately). You can get the rough details from photos, but the place itself, that’s something that can’t be replaced. Something that I have to conjure up for you in the meantime, in words. Just part of the weird and wonderful alchemy that is language, and the way we shape stories – and history – with it. To William, the idea of shaping history, at least, would be the same, if not the form. Remember that it’s thanks to him that modern English has the structure it does. So the very words you’re using owe their core to the Norman Conquest. I realized that these figures aren’t just names on a textbook page and (very) insistent voices in my head. They’re there. They’re real.

Pretty epic stuff. N'est-ce pas?"

Perhaps you can't go to Normandy as we did. You can see our photos at: http://s598.photobucket.com/albums/tt64/hilaryrhodes/

BTW, the Camembert was divine.

Chasing the Story

I have a chance to view the story- telling process from another angle this coming week. Instead of reading a finished book (which is what I do most of the time), I get to travel with a writer as she gathers material for her upcoming historical novel.

Where, you might ask? Lucky me! I get to to travel to Normandy, France. We're on the trail of William the Conqueror (familiarly known in England as "William the Conk"). William was the last successful invader of England, way back in 1066 A.D. (There have been several notable but unsuccessful attempts since then.) And although William smashed the Saxons at Hastings, and subsequently marched on London to force his coronation -- thereby changing English history and language, and wreaking untold havoc between England and France for the ensuing centuries -- he actually spent most of his life in Normandy, not England. We're going to find his roots.

How does a writer find and adapt material? For all that there have been scads of articles written about the Norman invasion and its aftereffects, there is surprisingly little written about William himself. To find him, we're going to visit every place we know he lived and worked, and a few places where he might have. That's quite a pile of chateaux and abbeys. (My theory is, he was the kind of guy who might (if he felt like it), ask for forgiveness after doing what he wanted to do anyway. He never asked permission first. But he may have built a few abbeys to keep them quiet.) We'll also visit the Bayeux tapestry, which chronicles the victory over the English at Hastings (today's hamlet of Battle). We'll lose ourselves in the Norman countryside (pass the camembert, please). Between facts and factual surmises, and then a whole lot of imagination, a writer can paint a picture of life in the 11th century. William is a writer's gold mine, simply because there is so little written about the man.

So we're on the trail of the man, his spirit, his times and his legacy. I'm thrilled to be a part of watching history -- William's history -- unfold. And at the same time, I get to watch it imaginatively portrayed for today's audience. History and imagination -- what more could I want?

Oh, and I'll take a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon with the camembert, please. Don't forget the baguette. Merci!

The Lost City of Z by David Grann (nonfiction)

Holy Cow! This is my new favorite book. It combines adventure and thriller all in one. I knew almost nothing about the Amazon when I started and raced through it being not only totally entertained but also learning lots!

This is the story of British explorer Percy Harrison Fawcett who lived when the not much was known about, particularly, the Americas. He set off to map the Amazon jungles and rivers. Chilling facts...very well researched. The author, who is an unlikely adventurer, takes it upon himself to trace some of Fawcett's exploration with the use of modern technology...great comparisons. I couldn't put this one down...

Reviewed by Helen

I've just finished reading 2 memoirs simultaneously, jumping back and forth between them: My First White Friend by Patricia Raybon , published in 1996, and Renegade for Peace & Justice by Barbara Lee, published in 2008. It was a happy accident. Both authors are accomplished black women who tell their personal stories dealing with racism. Raybon's account was especially interesting to me because she's local; she grew up in Denver in the 1950s and was a professor of journalism at CU Boulder until her recent retirement. It was a shock to read about her intense hatred of white people while subscribing to all the white values. Indeed, this was her dilemma—wanting to be her natural black self but feeling, knowing, she had to act white in order to be accepted.

Barbara Lee was a welfare mother of 2 before she was 20. From that dubious beginning, she became a champion of the marginalized, fighting for the rights of people all over the world from California farm workers to Darfur. She has been a member of the US House of Congress since 1998, representing California's 9th congressional district, and was the only person in either chamber of Congress to vote against going to war in Iraq. This made her the heroine of the anti-war movement, but sparked many death threats.

Both books are amazingly candid and honest, and both made me realize how naïve I've been about race, and the toll that racism exacts on the psyche. Being a peacenik, I love the courage that Lee has demonstrated in Congress, not only for her vote against the Iraq War, but for continuing to speak loudly for justice. Although she is one of my heros and her accomplishments are enormous, the last part of the book becomes tedious with too much of I did this. I found Raybon's memoir more enjoyable reading. I will be recommending it to my all-white book club. I can guarantee a good discussion.
Marcie Dahlen
3/26/09

Quest: Finding a new Indie owner

Hearthfire Books of Evergreen is a bookstore with a mission – finding a new owner. Our absentee owner Lori Underwood (formerly of Evergreen, then London (UK), now Connecticut) is moving in new directions.

We have no intention of going out of business! We expect to pass on this wonderful bookstore to a new generation, particularly one who can upgrade our online presence. We are looking for a smart, savvy owner, one who is passionate about books and community, just as we’ve always been. A noted legal expert in small businesses has told us small businesses transfer ownership with some regularity – it’s a normal part of a business life cycle. We believe that, with our economy in flux, many people are in transition, anyway. Now might be the time to think about that lifelong dream of owning a bookstore, since so much is changing around us. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Lori herself bought the store from the prior owner.

Indies attract a special breed. Manager Janet Rhodes likens running an indie bookstore to becoming a wizard in Gryffindor House at Hogwarts. “We play Quidditch, chasing after the Golden Snitch of small business success. (Watch out for those Bludgers!) We have to learn the Care of Magical Creatures such as Blue-Ocean-Strategy and Inventory-Management, Potions & Charms to become (and stay) part of a local community, Hexes to protect our market niche. Indie stores fight Corporate Homogenization (They-Who-Must-Not-Be Named!). But it’s thrilling and ultimately rewarding in many ways beyond just dollars. “

Hearthfire Books is located in the foothills (really beautiful!) just west of Denver. It’s part of an educated, family-oriented, well-to-do community that values books and literacy. Hearthfire has been in business 12+ years, three of those in its current 1500 sq.ft. location. It has a loyal customer base, long-term employees, state-of-the-art inventory management, membership in national/regional trade associations, and strong community ties and school contacts.


If you’re thinking you’re ready for a change, want to have meaningful work and a place in our community – in short, if you want to learn to be a wizard, please contact us. www.hearthfirebooks.com or info@hearthfirebooks.com.

Why Shop Indie?

We had a maddening call the other day from someone who wanted to know if we had a book on our shelves. When we didn't (5 MILLION books in print!!) and offered to get it, the response was "oh, I can do that from Amazon." Grr! Fortunately, it doesn't happen too often (or we wouldn't still be here).

We don't have anything against Amazon -- people are free to shop where they like -- but this person didn't understand the value of a local, independent business. We can get books just as fast. Plus you get to touch, see and smell them -- a benefit to a true booklover. And see what we do besides:

1) When you shop at an independently owned business, our entire community benefits. Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in our community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and our community only sees $43.
2) Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
3) More taxes are reinvested in our community--where they belong.

Plus: shopping local is greener. Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint. Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify our community.

And even further: Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you. Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains. HearthFire Books has given away thousands of dollars - through donations, gift certificates, teacher and senior discounts - in just a few years to organizations and individuals throughout the foothills area. And we're a small store.

Finally, we keep hearing about diversity in our ecosystems, and how lack of diversity is a serious obstacle to staying healthy. Well, it's the same for a local economy. Do we want Evergreen to look like Anytown, USA? Don't think so . . .

So maybe next time that person (or someone like her) will choose to place an order with us -- and benefit us all.
More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.

Bookfairs Rock!

I love doing bookfairs for schools. I love picking out the books -- so many books about all kinds of things; I love packing them up and thinking about how cool they are; I love delivering them and seeing the kids and teachers get all excited. I love how the kids get to choose their own books (which usually guarantees they'll actually get read). After days of administrivia, actually getting my hands on books -- and placing them where kids will get their hands on them, too -- is exhilarating.

"The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings." (Robt. Louis Stevenson). There are books about robots, elves, dragons, bridges, dirt, pigs in slop, flying, princesses (in distress or not), rainforests, sharks, submarines, time travel, Antarctica, magic, the Chunnel, princes and paupers, butterflies. What a great way to find out about a "number of things!"

And apparently the kids at the middle school agree, since they were scouting out the books before the fair even opened. One boy methodically went through all the tables with his friend, commenting that this one was a good story, that one he'd read last year, he'd heard about a third one. Apparently all kids have *not* stopped reading, despite the gloom-and-doom predictions to that effect.

This is the joy of being a bookseller: sharing ideas, stories, imagination and reflections (in our case, in printed form) with like-minded people of any age.

My Current Favorite Book

I've recently -- for the thousandth time -- decided that there are far too many books to read in the world; and as it is impossible for me to read them all, I'm not going to even pretend that I have. Even if I am a bookseller and therefore expected to read it all. Further, I'm only going to read the ones I'm really interested in. (More of that below.) Enough of this trying to keep up! I can't and therefore I won't.

Enough ranting. The subtitle of this blog acknowledges the blurry line between books and life. I picked up Alan Bennett's novella The Uncommon Reader and quickly was walking that fuzzy line. (Did I mention I fell in love with reading all over again?) The Uncommon Reader is short (a huge plus these hurried days), funny (who doesn't need a laugh?), wise and succinctly written. He gets so much into so few words.!

The uncommon reader of the title is the Queen of England, who, after her misbehaved and bratty corgi tears through the mobile library parked on the palace grounds, feels she must go inside to apologize for her dog's bad behavior. And, of course not to be rude (a queen is never rude), she feels she must check out a book -- something she's never, ever done. She doesn't even know what to pick out. After getting suggestions from the librarian and the kitchen boy who frequents the mobile library, she checks out a work by an author she vaguely remembers making a dame of the British Empire.

She finds it a bit dry and checks out another -- again out of politeness. And then another. And so begins a whole new piece of her life. She is so often reading that she -- horrors! -- becomes habitually late, throwing the tightly scheduled palace household into complete disarray. She finds herself so engrossed with her reading that she assumes others must be equally engrossed.She begins to ask others their opinion of their current book at state occasions -- only to find they are totally discomfited because, in fact, they don't read. They are used to discussing traffic cones, road construction, and weather!

You're probably wondering if I'm going to get to the books/life thing. For one thing, Alan Bennett so perfectly captures the ins-and-outs of the royal household that it's tempting to think the whole thing is true! More importantly, his --and the Queen's -- reflections on how extensive reading broadens one's view of life is perfect. We can experience another life, another place through books as if we were there. As the song from The Lion King goes "there is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done." For many of us, books are the gateway to see and do those things we'll probably never see or do in our own lives. The Queen certainly comes to realize that!

I won't spoil it for you -- after all, you can read it yourself in about 2 hours! Treat yourself to a fun story by a masterful writer. Be prepared to laugh -- and then go check out that next book . . .
-posted by Janet

Well, We Did It!

....a bunch of technophobes who really love words and the printed page have gone digital! Follow the life of an indie bookstore in the posts that follow, including our current favorite reading, the joys and sorrows of being an indie bookstore, life in a small town in Colorado, and anything else we think of. Long live the book!